Page 46 of Zeke
The casual affection made her chest tight. He wasn’t pulling away now that the danger had passed, wasn’t creating distance after getting what he wanted. Maybe this was real. Maybe she could let herself believe?—
He went rigid.
His arm locked around her waist, pulling her behind a cluster of boulders in one smooth motion. She didn’t question it, didn’t make a sound. When a man who’d torn apart ferals with his bare hands told you to hide, you hid.
“What is it?” she breathed against his shoulder.
“Someone’s coming.” His head tilted, listening. “Two people, moving fast.”
They waited, pressed against the boulder, until two figures came into view on the trail below. Her heart jumped.
“That’s Kraath,” she whispered. “Thank god he made it through the storm. Who’s with him?”
“Raaze. He was tracking with us when we got separated in the storm.” Zeke’s eyes narrowed. “But they’re heading in the wrong direction.”
“What do you mean wrong direction?”
“They’re heading deeper into the mountains. Away from the garrison.” His jaw tightened. “Away from where they should be searching for us.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” she whispered. “We’ve been missing for days. Why aren’t they looking for us?”
His jaw tightened. “Maybe they’re not looking for us at all.”
The thought sat cold in her stomach. Why wouldn’t they be looking for them? What were they doing?
“We should follow them,” she said.
Zeke’s eyebrows rose. “You sure? Whatever Kraath’s doing out here?—”
“Could affect everyone at the garrison.” She met his eyes. “Including Ashley. I can’t just walk away not knowing.”
He studied her face for a long moment. Then his lips quirked in that small smile she was starting to recognize.
“My brave little female,” he murmured, and the possessive note in his voice sent heat straight to her core.
Yeah, definitely not a one-night thing.
“Can you track them without being spotted?”
“Please.” He looked offended. “I hunted ferals through a blizzard. Two males in clear weather? Child’s play.”
They waited until Kraath and his companion were out of sight, then slipped from their hiding spot. Zeke led, his movements silent on the forest floor while she tried not to sound like a moose crashing through underbrush. The black cast on her leg helped stabilize the bone, but it didn’t make her graceful.
Every few minutes, he would pause, head tilted as he listened to something she couldn’t hear. Then he’d adjust their route, always keeping them downwind, always maintaining distance. She found herself watching him work, appreciating the controlled power in every movement.
And that ass in those leather pants.
Shit, focus.
They’d been tracking for maybe twenty minutes when Zeke suddenly pressed her against a tree, his body covering hers. She felt his heart racing against her back.
“What—”
“Shh.” His breath stirred her hair. “They’ve stopped. Kraath’s... arguing with Raaze.”
She couldn’t hear anything beyond normal forest sounds, but she trusted his enhanced senses. His arm tightened around her waist, protective and possessive at once.
“Can you tell what they’re saying?”
